Charts
Create visualizations to analyze your Shard data
Charts help you visualize your Shard data with interactive line graphs. Create charts to monitor trends, track metrics over time, and gain insights from your tables.
Note: Currently, only Line Charts are supported. Additional chart types (bar, pie, map) are coming soon.
Creating a Line Chart
Section titled “Creating a Line Chart”Step 1: Open a New Chart
Section titled “Step 1: Open a New Chart”- Click the Charts icon in the left sidebar
- Click “New” to create a new chart
- You’ll see the chart creation interface
Step 2: Choose Your Visualization
Section titled “Step 2: Choose Your Visualization”When creating a new chart, you’ll see visualization options:
- Line - Shows trends over time (currently supported)
- Bar - Compares quantities (coming soon)
- Pie - Shows proportions (coming soon)
- Map - Displays geographical data (coming soon)
Click “Line” and then “Next” to continue.
Step 3: Configure Your Chart
Section titled “Step 3: Configure Your Chart”Set a Title:
- Enter a descriptive title like “Requests over time” or “User signups by day”
- This appears at the top of your chart
Add Data Series:
A series is a line on your chart. You can add multiple series to compare different data sources.
-
Click “Add series” to create your first series
-
Configure each series:
- Label: Name for this line (e.g., “Active users”)
- Table: Which table to pull data from
- X axis: Column for horizontal axis (usually time/date)
- Y axis: Column for vertical axis (the value to plot)
- Max points: Limit how many data points to display (default: 10,000)
- Filter: Optional rules to filter which rows to include
-
Add more series if you want to compare multiple metrics on the same chart
Step 4: Save Your Chart
Section titled “Step 4: Save Your Chart”- Click “Save chart” at the bottom
- Your chart will render with the configured data
- The chart appears in the Charts list and can be opened anytime
Working with Charts
Section titled “Working with Charts”Viewing a Chart
Section titled “Viewing a Chart”Once created, your chart displays:
- Title at the top
- Legend showing all series names
- Interactive graph where you can hover to see exact values
- Live/Idle toggle to control real-time updates
- Edit button to modify the chart configuration
Live Mode
Section titled “Live Mode”Toggle Live mode in the bottom toolbar:
- Live (green indicator): Chart refreshes every 60 seconds with new data
- Idle (gray indicator): Chart is frozen and won’t auto-refresh
Live mode is useful for monitoring real-time metrics like request counts or active sessions.
Editing a Chart
Section titled “Editing a Chart”- Open the chart from the Charts sidebar
- Click “Edit” in the bottom-right corner
- Modify the title, series, or filters
- Click “Save changes” to update the chart
Deleting a Chart
Section titled “Deleting a Chart”Charts can be deleted from the Charts sidebar by right-clicking on a chart and selecting “Delete” (feature may vary based on UI implementation).
Chart Series Configuration
Section titled “Chart Series Configuration”Choosing the Right Fields
Section titled “Choosing the Right Fields”X Axis (Horizontal):
- Typically a time or date column (e.g.,
created_at
,timestamp
) - Can also be sequential IDs or any ordered value
- Shard automatically detects whether to use time-based or value-based scaling
Y Axis (Vertical):
- The metric you want to track (e.g.,
count
,total
,revenue
) - Numeric columns work best
- Text columns will be ignored or cause errors
Using Filters
Section titled “Using Filters”Filters let you narrow down which rows appear in your chart:
- Click “Add rule” in the Filter section
- Select a column to filter by
- Choose an operator (equals, greater than, contains, etc.)
- Enter a value to match
- Combine rules with AND/OR logic
Example: Only show data where status = "completed"
AND priority > 5
Max Points Limit
Section titled “Max Points Limit”The Max points setting controls how many data points are fetched:
- Higher values = more detail, but slower loading
- Lower values = faster rendering, less detail
- Default: 10,000 points (good for most use cases)
If your table has millions of rows, consider using filters or reducing max points for better performance.
Multiple Series
Section titled “Multiple Series”You can overlay multiple lines on one chart to compare trends:
Example Use Cases:
- Compare new users vs active users over time
- Track requests and errors on the same timeline
- Show revenue from different product categories
Each series can pull from:
- Different tables
- Different columns
- Different time ranges (via filters)
All series share the same X and Y axis scales for easy comparison.
Tips for Better Charts
Section titled “Tips for Better Charts”Choose descriptive names: Label your series clearly so others can understand them
Use consistent time intervals: If plotting time-based data, ensure your X axis column has regular timestamps
Filter out noise: Use filters to exclude test data, outliers, or irrelevant rows
Start simple: Create a basic chart first, then add complexity with additional series and filters
Check your data types: Ensure Y axis columns are numeric (integers or decimals)
Use Live mode wisely: Only enable it when monitoring real-time data to avoid unnecessary resource usage
Common Issues
Section titled “Common Issues”Chart shows no data:
- Verify your table has rows matching your filters
- Check that X and Y axis columns exist and have values
- Ensure Y axis values are numeric
Chart looks jagged or sparse:
- Your data might have gaps in the X axis timeline
- Consider increasing the max points limit
- Check if filters are too restrictive
Chart won’t save:
- At least one complete series is required (table, X axis, and Y axis must all be set)
- Ensure you have a valid shard selected
Example: Creating a Request Count Chart
Section titled “Example: Creating a Request Count Chart”- Create a chart and select Line type
- Set title: “API Requests Over Time”
- Add series:
- Label: “Requests”
- Table:
api_logs
- X axis:
timestamp
- Y axis:
request_count
- Max points: 5000
- Filter:
status = 200
(only successful requests)
- Save and watch your request trends over time!
You now have a live dashboard showing API request volume with automatic updates every minute when Live mode is enabled.